Snow melter



' S'EP- 17, 1929. Lr; ROY w. BRowNE: Er Au 1,728,525v

n sNowMELTER' Filed April 18, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l l, A l;

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 17, 1929;

UNITED STATES LE ROY Vf. BROWNE AND ARNOLD W SCHNEIDER ror'rnoi'r,y New YORK SNOW MELTER Applieationled April 18,

This invention relates to improvements in poi'table apparatus for melting snow and particularly to devices of this character adapted for use with a mechanical loader. 4

In cities and other centers of congested population the removal of snow from streets presents a serious problem. rlfhe present f practice is to plow the snow to the sides of the streets, pick kit up withsoine sort of a mechanical loader', drop it into trucksr and haul it to some place where it can be dumpet The cost of removing snow in this Way is ex cessively high due principally to the cost of hauling.

vWe are aware, ofcourse, that it has heren tofore been proposed to dispose of snow by passing it through some form of melting apparatus and that many devices for disposing` of snow in this way have been proposed. These devices include means for utilizing` the heat generated by the combustion of different fuels, and in some cases, it has been proposed to project flames from torches and the'lilre directly upon or against the snow. j

It is well knownthat kerosene or fueloil when properly burned with sulhcient oxygen to produce a rapid combustion generates in tense heat. It is also well known that snow is a poor conductor of heat. For this reason, where a jet of iire is projected directly onto the snow it simply inelts a hole immediately about the flame andhas no appreciable eiteet upon the snow which is not directly in its path. This is also true where steam or hot gases emerge through openings directly int-o the snow.

In order to attain a high degree of efficiency in a device of this character it is necessary not only to bring the snow rinto contact with highly heated surfaces or gases but to provide some means whereby the `snow may be heated. either successively or simultaneously on all sides. Most of the snow inelters are designed to heat directly from the bottom or f at least to subject the snow to heat applied in fixed directions relative to its movement through the melting` apparatus. We propose not only to attack the snow byhot gases kand by Contact with hot surfaces Llout to provide an apparatus of such design that the snow 1927.` Serial No. 184,754.

as it melts will fall through the apparatus by gravity so that the separate chunks thereof will be turned about in falling` and successivek y ly subjected to heat in all directions.

he primary object of our invention theref fore is to providey a snow melting apparatus which will economicallyutilize the intense heat generated by the combustion ofkr keron ,seneor fueloil with the oxygen of air andL with this cndin view to provide aadevicefinc ywhich the snow will be tumbled aboutl during the meltingffprocess and thus besuccessively subjected toheat infall directions. Another object of our invention is to 'provide a device of this characterfin Lwhich the burners ortorches will be located in conveniently yaccessible positionswholly exteriorof the device Where the character of the combustion may beobserved atnalltimes and where, iny

case of extinguishment, the" burner may be readily relighted or will be automatically relig'hted byanother burner. Another object of our invention is to provide a device of this character in which the direction; of the projected flames may be varied somewhat to secure the most economical operation on wet or dry snow kor ice.` Anotherobjectof our in vention is toprovide aideviceof this character equipped with a pumping means for forcing the water produced by the meltingof the snow` or ice to ahigher elevation where it belcomesnecessary or desirable to dispose of the water jin this way. Still another object of our invention is to pi'ovide'a device of this f character .whichy is adapted to be readily moved from place to yplace andi particularly adaptedto be drawn Ibehind and used in connection with a mechanical snow loader.

l/Vith these objects in view our invention includes the novel elements and combinations and arrangements of elements described loedrawings, in a moreelless typical' vway, in which- I j K Fie'. l is a plan view of the receptacle into which the snowis dumped;

Fig. 2 '.s an elevation view, in half section, of the snow receptacle showing one of the torches used in connection therewith; Fig'. 3 is a plan view of our device;

low and illustrated in the accom an in(T i P Y e 'lil F ig. 4 is a side elevation view of our device; and y Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are detail views illustrating an adjustable torch support.

In its preferred form, our snow melter comprises a hollow receptacle, 1, open at the top and substantially closed at the bottom except for a central opening, 2. The walls of the ieceptacle, 1, are formed of outer and inner plates of iron or steel, 3 and 4, respectively, slightly spaced from each other and between which is interposed a layer, 5, of a heat insulating material such as asbestos. Inside of this receptacle are provided a plurality of inverted, frusto-conical bafiles, 6,' 'T and 8, respectively, having comparatively large central openings, 9, 10 and 11, respectively. In the drawings we have shown three of these baiiies.

Supported upon the baille, 7, by the legs, 12,

is an upright, hollow, conical baille, 13, formed of metal. The base of the cono, 12, is somewhat above the baille, 7, so that an annular space is provided between baffles, 7 and 13. The vertex ofthe conical baille, 13, issomewhat above the'opening, 9, in baille, 6, and baffle, 13, is so adjusted in relation to bale, 6, that snow sliding down the inclined surface of baille, 6, will not pass directly into or through the annular opening between baiiles, 7 and 13, but will slide against the surface of baille, 13, and drop on bae, 7. Batlle, 13, is preferably imperforate except for a few comparatively small holes, 14, near the top. The purpose of keeping this baille imperforate is to retain the hot gases against the inner side thereof and thus maintain the baille extremely hot, although it is advisable to provide vents near the top for a slight circulation.

Supported upon the battle, 8, by the legs, 15, is the perforated frusto-conical baffle, 16, which is openat the top as shown at 17. The bottom of the baille, 16, is somewhat raised above the surface of the baille, 8, to provide an annular space there between, and the truncated portion at the top is somewhat above the opening, 10, in baille, 7. ln other words this conical baffle is so placed in relation to baille, 7, that snow falling upon baffle, 7, and sliding downwardly will be projected directly against the heated surface of baille, 16, andy will slide downwardly or drop on baille, 8.

The receptacle, 1, is provided with suitably disposed openings through which jets of flame are projected from torches, 18, dis" posed about the receptacle. These torches are arranged in three vertically disposed sets or tiers. Those of the upper set project flames through six openings, 19, which are arranged somewhat above the level of opening, 9, in baille, 6, butbelow the baille. The second setof torches project jets of flame through the lfour openings, 20, and against the outer side of baille, 7. rlhe lower set project flames through the four openings, 21, and

against the outside of baille, 8. All of these openings are preferably in staggered relation as shown.

Referring particularly to Figs. 3 and et, it is contemplated that our device with all of its equipment will be mounted upon a truck body, 22. rThe snow receiving receptacle will be vertically mounted as shown in Fig. a and supported by any suitable means such as the supports, 23, and the truclr, will be provided with a sump, 2a, beneath the center of the snow receptacle and into which the water from the melted snow will ilow. Under ordinary conditions this water will be permitted to flow through the sump from the valve, 25, directly onto the street and thence flow along 'the street to the sewer. lWhere the snow is being removed from a hill it is sometimes necessary to pump the water from the sump and convey it through a hose for some distance along the street. llVhei-e such is the case, there may be provided a pump, 26, operated by a gasoline engine, 27, having a radiator, 28, and rwhich will withdraw the water from the sumpA through the pipe, 29. The pump is provided with a threaded dis charge opening, 30, onto which a hose may be coupled.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4 we have illustrated a convenient means for supporting the burners. Each burner is prov'ded with a regulating valve, 31, connected to the pipe system which in turn is connected with tho fuel tank, 32. All the pipes which support the burners are connected together, as shown at 33 and 3a, and supported by vertical pipes, such as 35 and 36. rlhe burners themselves might be supported upon the same pipes but l have illustrated a separate supporting system comprising the connected circular pipes, 37, 38 and 39, supported upon the vertical pipes, 40. Each burner, 18, is mounted on trunnion bearings, 4:1, which are riveted or otherwise secured to the supporting pipes. The burners, 18, are tiltable in the trunni ons, as shown in F ig. 6, and they may be locked in any position by means of the wing nuts, 1.2. The valves are connected with the burners by flexible pipes, 13.

lt is necessary to feed the fuel to the burners under pressure, and for this reason we have provided a compressor, 114C, adapted to be driven by the engine, 2i', to compress the air in the fuel tank, 32, through the pipe, ll5.

The operation of our device is as follows: Snow which is dumped into the top of the melter from a mechanical loader falls upon hot baille 6, and hot baille, 13, and is also subjected to attack by hot gases rising between the baiiies. It begins to melt immediately, from the bottom, and slides down both baiiles, 6 and 13, where it is struck directly by flames projected through openings, 19. ln passing through the annular opening between baffles, 6 and 13, chunks of the partially melted snow CII are broken od and fall upon baffle, 7 where they are subjected to heat on all sides. Here, the snow is further melted and slides down against hot baffle, 16, and from there down to baffle, 8, and thence, in the form of water, to the sump, 24. In addition to melting by contact with the hot baffles, hot gases and flames are projected from the torches directly against the snow on one side, and the hot gases from the torches below attack the snow on the opposite side. `We thus utilize, for melting, both heated surfaces and the direct contact of the hot gases as projected and as they tend to rise through the apparatus. It is well known that snow falls vary in character from heavy to light, and that sometimes a quantity of ice is encountered with the snow. yFor this reason we have mounted each of the burners on adjustable trunnions so that the direction of the projected jets of flame may be varied to impinge directly upon the outsides of the baffles, or be projected substantially parallel to the outside of the baffles. The jets of flame at the points Where the combustion first begins, and for a considerable distance therefrom are protected from snow and water and therefor will not be extinguished. Furthermore, each jet is independent of all the others and may be separately regulated to produce the most efficient results. It is practically impossible to extinguish a jet without shutting off the fuel supply because the jet of fuel will be ignited by an adjacent burner.

1While we have described our invention in its preferred form it is to be understood that the words which we have used are words of description rather than words of limitation, and that changes within the purview of the appended claims may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of our invention in its broadest aspects.

What we claim is- 1. A snow melting device comprising'a receptacle provided, intermediate the top and bottom thereof, with a plurality of baffles comprising conical surfaces arranged alternately in upright and inverted relation to provide a comparatively tortuous passage for snow falling therethrough, and means for projecting jets of flame against and between said baffles. n

2. In a snow melting device, the combination with a recept-acle open atk the top and provided, intermediate the top and bottom, with a. plurality of vertically spaced, oppositely inclined baffles, of means for projecting jets of flame against and between said baffles.

3. In a snow melting device, the combination with a receptacle open at the top and provided, intermediate the top and bottom with a plurality of spaced baflles downwardly and inwardly inclined from the sides thereof and open at the center, of a plurality of baflles oppositely inclined to said first, mentioned baffles and rprojecting through the central openings therein, and means for projecting converging jets of flame between said first mentionedbaffles. f. s z f I 4. In a snow melting device, the combina tion with a receptacle adapted to hold the snow during the melting process and provided with openings in the sides thereof, of a pluralitykof liquid fuel burners disposed I around said receptacle opposite said open ings and adapted to project jets of flame through i said openings f from pointsy exterior of said receptacle.

5. In a snow melting device, the combination with a receptacle adapted to hold snow during the melting process and provided with a plurality of downwardly inclined, spaced baffles therein, and openings in the sides thereof between said baffles, of a plurality of liquid fuel burners mounted exterior of said receptacle opposite said openings and adapted to project jets of flame into said receptacle through said openings, and means for varying the direction of throw of said jets to project the flames either against or between said sides thereof and open at the center, of a pluf rality of baffles oppositely inclined to said first mentioned baffles and disposed within the central openings thereof, and a plurality of liquid fuel burners disposed about the exterior of said receptacle and adapted to project converging jets of flame through openings in the sides ofsaid receptacle beneath said first mentioned baffles.

8. A snow melting device comprising the combination with a receptacle open at the top and provided with a plurality of inverted frusto-conical baflles extending inwardly from the sides thereof and having openings at the center, of a plurality of baffles comprising upright conical surfaces disposed within said central openings and slightly spaced from said first mentioned baffles to provide a comparatively tortuous passage for snow falling through said receptacle, and a plurality of liquid fuel burners disposed about the eX- terior thereofadapted to project jets of flame through openings in the sides of said receptacle and against said baflles.

9. In a snow melting device, the combination with :L receptacle open at the top to reeeve the snow,-0f means for projecting converging jets of ame into seid receptacle at Various stages between the top and bottom thereof, and mea-ns in said receptacle forming a tortuous, downwardly extending passage somewhat remote from the sides of said receptaaie to permit the fell therethrough Vof snow in comparatively large bodies but adapted to turn the failng snow to expose different portions thereof to said ets of Haine.

LE ROY W. BROWNE.

ARNOLD W'. SCHNEIDER. 

